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(No Model.)

A. TODD & L. H. MaK EE.

FIRE ESCAPE.

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WITNESSE (7Z6 NITED STATES PATENT which.

ABRAHAM TODD AND LEANDER H. MGKEE, OF GONSTANTIA, NEW YORK.

Fl FEE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 277,433, dated May 8, 1883.

Application filed February 10, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ABRAHAM TODD and LEANDER H. MCKEE, citizens of the United States, residing at Constantia, in the county of Oswego and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and we do hereby declarethat the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a view of aside elevation of our invention; Fig. 2, a sectional view, showing the interior of the casing; and Fig. 3, a cross-section through line mm, Fig. 1.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in that class of fire-escapes known as frictional, the object thereof being to produce such an escape as will be at once simple and inexpensive in its construction, effective in its operation, and readily attached to any window or like portion of a building.

The invention consists in the details of construction substantially as shown in the drawings, and hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the casing, having openings a, in each end thereof, through which passes a rope, B, of any sufficient length, having at both extremities books I) or other suitable means for attaching it to a window or other like portion of a building. Upon the interior of this casing A are suitably located trunnels (J, around each of which is passed one turn of the rope B, said trunnels being firmly secured in place and prevented from turning by the ends 0 of the bails D, being bent in a right-angular direction and passed through said trunnels and casing in opposing directions, thereby not only forming bearings for the trunnels, but at the same time bracing the casing and more securely sustaining any weight brought to bear upon the belt E or its equivalent, suitably connected to the bails upon the outside of the casing for holdin g the person or persons in the act of descending from the building. A portion of the sides of the casing is made removable, in order to admit of the adjustment of the rope upon the trunnels, and such examination of its interior as may be from time to time found necessary.

In the operation of our invention one end of the rope is connected to the windows or other like portions of a building and the belt or its equivalent occupied by the person or persons to belowered, the descent being regulated by grasping the rope below the casing and paying out said rope to suit his or their convenience, the trunnels in the casing over which the rope passes preventing it from slipping too fast, and although we have shown but two such trunnels additional ones may be added, if found necessary, as the greater the number of trunnels the greater the resistance and consequent slowness of descent, with less strain upon the operators strength. Afterthe casing has traveled the entire length of the rope and the operator landed upon the ground, should there be others to descend, the said rope and easing, carrying the belt or its equivalent, are

drawn up, the free end of the rope made fast,

the already secured end disconnected, and the operation repeated, the ends of the rope and easing being simply reversed at each operation.

' Having now fully described our invention,

what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a frictional fiteescape, the trunnels 0, located upon the interior of the casing A and held securely in place by means of.the rightangular ends 0 of the bails D, passing through said casing and trunnels in an opposite direction, substantially as shown, and for the purpose described. 2. The casing A, constructed substantially as shown, and having its side or sides removable, in combination with the trunnels G, rope B, and bails D, connected to and passing through the opposite sides of the casing and through the trunnels, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that we claim the above we have hereunto subscribed our names in the presence of two witnesses.

ABRAHAM TODD. LEANDER H. MGKEE.

Witnesses:

CYRUS P. Gnoss, HERBERT H. TALLooTT. 

